City council approves baseball agreement

Tuesday

Sep 18, 2012 at 9:50 PM

Voters will decide whether to give city authority to build baseball stadium

By Julian MarchJulian.March@StarNewsOnline.com

The Wilmington City Council voted 6-1 late Tuesday night to approve the agreement with the Atlanta Braves and Mandalay Baseball to build a minor league baseball stadiumThe deal, which was months in the making, is dependent on the outcome of a Nov. 6 referendum on whether voters would authorize the city to issue $37 million in general obligation bonds to build a stadium.Before the vote, Mayor Bill Saffo called the prospect of a riverfront stadium a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."Councilwoman Laura Padgett voted against the agreement, citing concerns about the cost to prepare the land and the project's proposed timeline. She also said that existing baseball teams don't draw "huge crowds.""I know a lot of people are in favor of this and I know a good many are concerned about it," Padgett said. But other council members touted the possibility of baseball and praised the deal the city negotiated. "Sometimes I think there's a reticence here to take risks," said Mayor Pro Tem Earl Sheridan. "I think it's worth the risk."Councilman Kevin O'Grady said a stadium would help develop the northern riverfront and relieve the tax burden on Wilmington homeowners. Furthermore, he said Wilmington should compete with cities elsewhere in the state that have stadiums. "We have a real opportunity here," O'Grady said. "It's not without risk, but it has a lot of rewards."Last week, the city reached a tentative agreement with the Braves and Mandalay. Council was originally set to approve the agreement on Aug. 7, but moved it to Sept. 4. But by then, the negotiations were still ongoing and council delayed voting on the agreement again to Tuesday.The agreement outlines how costs, revenue and power would be shared between the city and Mandalay/Braves for a 20-year agreement, which includes provisions that could extend the term for two successive five-year periods. The city will be solely responsible for acquiring a riverfront site for the stadium that both parties agree to. The city will be the sole owner of the site. The site devoted to the ballpark can be no less than 7 acres, but the development can include a 1.5-acre public park.The project's budget is $37 million. Of that, the city will spend no more than $31 million to build the stadium and spend $6 million to acquire the site and make any necessary improvements. According to the agreement, if the cost of acquiring the site and performing necessary prep work exceeds $6 million, the city is responsible for funding the added expense.The goal is for the stadium to be completed in either April 2014 or April 2015 and have 6,200 seats.Representatives from the Braves have said they hope voters will support the stadium in a Nov. 6 referendum that will decide if the city should issue $37 million in general obligation bonds to build the stadium. Paying for the stadium would require a 2.5-cent increase in the property tax rate per $100 of value. As in past meetings, the divisive issue drew speakers with strong opinions about the proposal. Chuck Kuebler, an outspoken stadium supporter, said the population of New Hanover County has grown over the years and could support a stadium." We have more people," he said. "We have more fans. The project's not going to fail. The project's going to do quite well."Asking if voters would be willing to support an investment for the community, he said, "Vote yes for Wilmington. Vote yes for baseball. Vote yes for progress."Other speakers criticized the deal. James Turner, who worked for almost 50 years in marketing and promotions, said it is clear the city council "has a major public relations problem on its hands."The cost of a stadium is a tough sell, Turner said, adding that it will affect property owners for years and it could trickle down to raise costs for renters. Taking acreage on the Cape Fear River off the tax rolls will further increase the tax burden, he said. David Padgett, a retired UNC Wilmington biology professor and self-described ardent fan of minor league baseball , spoke against a taxpayer-funded ballpark.He expressed serious doubts about the ability of a stadium to garner enough fans to be successful. As a scientist, he said he must draw conclusions based on solid information and not "wishful thinking."He cited poor attendance at games of the two short-lived minor league teams: the Wilmington Waves and Port City Roosters. At one game, he said he only saw 16 fans in the stands. Furthermore, the UNCW stadium is never more than one-third full for games, he said. "This is the hard evidence that convinced me there are simply not enough baseball fans in this area that would attend minor league games...," he said.